From dynamispublications.org, antiochan.org, biblegateway.com and rongolini.com:
Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Cheesefare Week, The Sunday of Forgiveness, Memory of the Forty-two Holy Martyrs of Amorium (+848): Theodore, Constantine, Callistos, Theophilos, Bassoi and their companions
Scriptural Readings:
Romans 13:11-14:4
Romans 13:11-14:4 (King James Version)
11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Romans 14
1Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
2For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
3Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
4Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
Saint Matthew 6:14-21 (3/6-3/19) The Sunday of Forgiveness (Last of Cheesefare)
Fasting: VII ~ Three Essentials: Saint Matthew 6: 14-21, especially vss. 17, 18: “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father Who is in the secret place....” In this passage the Lord sets out the three conditions of true fasting: forgiveness (vss. 14-15), accountability (vss. 16-18), and readiness for combat with the enemy (vss. 19-21).
On forgiveness: two matters concerning forgiveness must be settled prior to fasting: our need to be forgiven and our need to forgive. The aim of the Lenten Fast is to assist us in embracing the Lord’s “...propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:2) which does cleanse “...from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). God’s call is to repent and confess (Acts 3:19), for He forgives when we forgive, and “...if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mt. 6:15). This very day, this very evening, let us begin the Fast and clean the slate, seeking and giving forgiveness. Then we shall profit from the days of the Great Fast in self-examination, repentance and confession.
On accountability: we are called to the Great Fast by our Master. He is the One Who defines the Fast: what it is and how we are to carry it out. We are not to blur His goals or His procedures. The Fast is a ‘secret’ between us and God our Father, therefore the Lord commands: “...anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting” (vss. 17,18). It is a temptation from Satan to exhibit penitence and contrition, “...to appear to men to be fasting” (vs. 16). Displaying our ‘ascesis’ shifts our motives toward seeking men’s approval. Let us fast to purify ourselves and labor where God alone sees, in the covert of our heart.
Saint John of Kronstadt asks: “Do the Christian hypocrites...think that they...live hypocritically? They do not think so.” He writes about prayer, but it applies to fasting: “They [fast] daily, perhaps at length; but...out of habit...not with their hearts, without heartfelt contrition, without a firm desire for amendment, and only in order to fulfill the established rule, and [they] ‘think’ they ‘do God service,’ whilst in fact they only incur the wrath of God.” Be attentive!
On readiness for battle with the enemy: in this world, the Lord warns us, “...moth and rust destroy and...thieves break in and steal...” (vs. 19). What are the moth and the rust, and who are the thieves? Moths lay their eggs in our woolen fabrics unless we protect against them. As their larvae hatch, they eat away the cloth and destroy that which is meant to shield and protect us against the elements. What does this to us spiritually? Look out for Satan and sin! We implant sin’s larvae in our hearts and minds, and they, in turn, eat away the truth of God that shields and defends us against the blasts of lies and illusions. Only by confession and contrition may we hope for the grace of God to kill the deadly, voracious hatchlings of sin within ourselves.
Similarly, what is it that functions like rust? It is certainly the corrosive, secular life with its fads and promotions! The world curries the passions with its self-serving lies and distortions. Secularism, unless it is steadily sealed out by the Chrism of the Holy Spirit, corrodes devotion and our pledge to worship and serve God alone. Let us fast so that we heed the Lord’s gentle and sure voice, for He alone has the power to assist us in countering the penetrating, destructive, and corrosive rust of the world. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me!
Satan and his legion of demons are the thieves who constantly seek every means to break into our hearts and to steal our souls for his perverse kingdom. These enemies encourage us to ‘adjust’ the Fast, to shrug at Christ’s Mysteries, and to serve ourselves (and many devils) instead.
Come and abide in us and cleanse us from every stain and save our souls, O good One.
The Synaxarion:
March 6
Memory of the Forty-two Holy Martyrs of Amorium (+848):
Theodore, Constantine, Callistos, Theophilos,
Bassoi and their companions.
These holy martyrs of noble birth were led as captives to Irenopolis (Baghdad), when Amorium, then the metropolis of Second Galatia, fell into the hands of Caliph al-Mutasim on September 24, 838. Under Iconoclast Emperor Theophilos they occupied the high positions of commanding officers and military leaders. Threats, promises, long tortures, and imprisonments were not able to lead them to betray Christ. Refusing with courage to disown the Christian faith, they were beheaded on March 6, 848, under Caliph al-Mutawakkil.
Fifth Class Feast.
Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Cheesefare Week, The Sunday of Forgiveness, Memory of the Forty-two Holy Martyrs of Amorium (+848): Theodore, Constantine, Callistos, Theophilos, Bassoi and their companions
Scriptural Readings:
Romans 13:11-14:4
Romans 13:11-14:4 (King James Version)
11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Romans 14
1Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
2For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
3Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
4Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
Saint Matthew 6:14-21 (3/6-3/19) The Sunday of Forgiveness (Last of Cheesefare)
Fasting: VII ~ Three Essentials: Saint Matthew 6: 14-21, especially vss. 17, 18: “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father Who is in the secret place....” In this passage the Lord sets out the three conditions of true fasting: forgiveness (vss. 14-15), accountability (vss. 16-18), and readiness for combat with the enemy (vss. 19-21).
On forgiveness: two matters concerning forgiveness must be settled prior to fasting: our need to be forgiven and our need to forgive. The aim of the Lenten Fast is to assist us in embracing the Lord’s “...propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:2) which does cleanse “...from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). God’s call is to repent and confess (Acts 3:19), for He forgives when we forgive, and “...if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mt. 6:15). This very day, this very evening, let us begin the Fast and clean the slate, seeking and giving forgiveness. Then we shall profit from the days of the Great Fast in self-examination, repentance and confession.
On accountability: we are called to the Great Fast by our Master. He is the One Who defines the Fast: what it is and how we are to carry it out. We are not to blur His goals or His procedures. The Fast is a ‘secret’ between us and God our Father, therefore the Lord commands: “...anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting” (vss. 17,18). It is a temptation from Satan to exhibit penitence and contrition, “...to appear to men to be fasting” (vs. 16). Displaying our ‘ascesis’ shifts our motives toward seeking men’s approval. Let us fast to purify ourselves and labor where God alone sees, in the covert of our heart.
Saint John of Kronstadt asks: “Do the Christian hypocrites...think that they...live hypocritically? They do not think so.” He writes about prayer, but it applies to fasting: “They [fast] daily, perhaps at length; but...out of habit...not with their hearts, without heartfelt contrition, without a firm desire for amendment, and only in order to fulfill the established rule, and [they] ‘think’ they ‘do God service,’ whilst in fact they only incur the wrath of God.” Be attentive!
On readiness for battle with the enemy: in this world, the Lord warns us, “...moth and rust destroy and...thieves break in and steal...” (vs. 19). What are the moth and the rust, and who are the thieves? Moths lay their eggs in our woolen fabrics unless we protect against them. As their larvae hatch, they eat away the cloth and destroy that which is meant to shield and protect us against the elements. What does this to us spiritually? Look out for Satan and sin! We implant sin’s larvae in our hearts and minds, and they, in turn, eat away the truth of God that shields and defends us against the blasts of lies and illusions. Only by confession and contrition may we hope for the grace of God to kill the deadly, voracious hatchlings of sin within ourselves.
Similarly, what is it that functions like rust? It is certainly the corrosive, secular life with its fads and promotions! The world curries the passions with its self-serving lies and distortions. Secularism, unless it is steadily sealed out by the Chrism of the Holy Spirit, corrodes devotion and our pledge to worship and serve God alone. Let us fast so that we heed the Lord’s gentle and sure voice, for He alone has the power to assist us in countering the penetrating, destructive, and corrosive rust of the world. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me!
Satan and his legion of demons are the thieves who constantly seek every means to break into our hearts and to steal our souls for his perverse kingdom. These enemies encourage us to ‘adjust’ the Fast, to shrug at Christ’s Mysteries, and to serve ourselves (and many devils) instead.
Come and abide in us and cleanse us from every stain and save our souls, O good One.
The Synaxarion:
March 6
Memory of the Forty-two Holy Martyrs of Amorium (+848):
Theodore, Constantine, Callistos, Theophilos,
Bassoi and their companions.
These holy martyrs of noble birth were led as captives to Irenopolis (Baghdad), when Amorium, then the metropolis of Second Galatia, fell into the hands of Caliph al-Mutasim on September 24, 838. Under Iconoclast Emperor Theophilos they occupied the high positions of commanding officers and military leaders. Threats, promises, long tortures, and imprisonments were not able to lead them to betray Christ. Refusing with courage to disown the Christian faith, they were beheaded on March 6, 848, under Caliph al-Mutawakkil.
Fifth Class Feast.
No comments:
Post a Comment